Unexplainable.net

NASA Scientists Discover Life Where Life Cannot Exist

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:16:30 PST

Scientists have released video of an expedition under 600 feet of ice sheet in the Arctic, previously thought unable to sustain life. The team sent a camera beneath an ice sheet in what they suspected would be a fruitless attempt to discern how inhospitable and dead the location was, but found that life existed far beyond what they had previously expected possible.

Rocket Could Reach Mars in 40 Days

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:28:06 PST

With NASA's funding cut incredibly short it seems future manned missions to mars have been put on indefinite hold. Not so, says one company which claims to have independently developed a rocket that could propel a human crew to the Red Planet in less than 40 days. The company, founded by former NASA astronaut Franklin Chang-Diaz is one of several that are attempting to close the gap between the budget cuts NASA has been suffering and the private sector. And it says it has the technology to do it.

Cosmic Dust Discovered Aboard Spacecraft

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:38:48 PST

It may not sound like much, but the discovery of interstellar dust aboard the Stardust spacecraft means the 2.9 billion mile journey undertaken by the craft in a mission to collect dust that may tell us about the formation of the solar system and give us a firmer grasp of what conditions were like at the creation of the universe itself. And now that scientists have conclusively found these dust particles within the trapping mechanism of one of these craft, it will provide insight into what these conditions were like.

Could Phobos' Moon be Hollow?

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 04:32:35 PST

It's been speculated for some time that the Martian moon of Phobos may be exhibiting the unusual orbital pattern that it does because it is actually hollow. Or rather than completely shelled like an egg with a hollow center, it may rather be largely porous rock with massive caverns reaching all the way into its core. If this were the case, there are several possible applications and advantages to exploring a moon or planetoid that has caverns reaching to the center.

Much More Water On Moon Than We Thought

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:38:53 PST

When NASA first detected faint signs of water late last year, it seemed like there may be faint traces of water that wouldn't ultimately be of much use to explorers visiting. What the Chandrayaan-1 space probe launched by India found was that there appeared to be far more than scientists had estimated. And now that has been confirmed by an extensive analysis of data that indicates there is likely enough water on the moon to make it incredibly useful to future explorers, and possibly colonists.

NASA: Enceladus May Have Life

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 06:42:48 PST

The potential for life has been discovered on Saturn's moon Enceladus as geysers spouting through the surface revealed longer ions indicative of water that was in motion. The discovery has suggested a massive underground ocean of water that remains unfrozen. Many scientists are suggesting this is some of the strongest evidence for life elsewhere in the Solar System.

US Space Travel Could be Eclipsed by China

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:06:48 PST

As NASA is expected to seek funding from private organizations under the new spending plan and retire the current space capsule, China expresses a great deal of interest in putting its own astronauts on the moon. The Chinese Space Agency suggests it could do so within the next decade. The move is being called the dawn of a new age of space exploration, while others lament the US' potential loss of Lunar supremacy.

Ocean of Liquid Diamond on Neptune

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:28:40 PST

Those looking for a way to fund future expeditions to the planet Neptune will be surprised by the potential for wealth theorized to be on the surface of planet Neptune. Oceans of diamonds topped by massive "diamond icebergs," if mined could bring in untold hundreds of trillions for anyone with the ingenuity to bring them back to Earth. An entire world of jewels sounds like a tall tale, and it may be the tallest treasure tale ever told. It's also a claim based in science.

NASA's Rover Too Chilled to Move

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 06:19:03 PST

When NASA's Mars Rover Spirit first landed on the Red Planet six years ago, it began a journey of discovery that has come to a frigid standstill as thousands of man hours may have finally come to an end now that temperatures in the region threaten to dip 150 degrees Fahrenheit below zero.

Astronomers to Find Life on Other Planets 'Within Five Years'

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:21:34 PST

Top NASA officials have been preparing for the coming next five years when they suspect astronomers will discover planets that could be considered habitable outside of our solar system. As the brand new Kepler telescope discovers hordes of planets, scientists are noting the number of statistical traits in some of the "almost habitable" ones and compiling a statistical analysis that indicates at the current rate of discovery we should find a planet that's "just right" for human-like life within the next five years.

Phantom Cosmonauts of the USSR

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:55:31 PST

When it was first created, Sputnik was feared worldwide as a symbol of the terrifyingly advanced technological achievements of the Soviet Union, but it was soon to be followed by the first manned mission into space also hatched by the Soviet Union. But was the USSR's first manned spaceflight success also their first attempt? Records seem to indicate the Soviet Union may have attempted to put several of its citizens (of varying degrees of willingness) into space, and some of them never returned.

Who Won the First Chess Game Between Earth and Space?

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 01:48:45 PST

In September of 2008 a chess game began between Earth and astronaut Greg Chamitoff onboard the International Space Station and the combined voting forces of Earth in the form of Stevenson Elementary School third graders in Bellevue Washington. The match marks the first game played between Earth and those orbiting Earth on record. But who won the chess match spanning well over a year?

Signs of Life on Moon Only Reported Today

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 20:58:30 PST

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) have announced that a discovery a little over a year ago indicate that there may be life on the surface of the moon in some places. The incredible discovery was yet another groundbreaking lunar revelation thanks to India’s Chandrayaan-1 probe. Those who have been following Chandrayaan-1 may remember that it was also the first probe to detect signs of water on the moon. This was, of course, confirmed later by the LCROSS lunar platform which crashed into the surface. The announcement was made at the international radar symposium Friday afternoon.

Laser Powered Robot Wins $900K

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:58:37 PST

The idea of a space elevator is one of the most important concepts toward space travel mankind has ever considered, and now NASA has developed a method that may actually bring that concept to reality. One of the things still needed? A robot light enough for the job. Since batteries are notoriously heavy, the robot will need to be powered by something else. What’s more Sci-fi than a robot climbing a cable into space? The robot is powered by lasers. That’s the idea behind NASA’s contest for ingenuity. The prize? Nine hundred thousand dollars, and another three million for anyone who can one up them.

Treaty Signed to Create Mars Co-op

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:07:22 PST

The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed a commitment with the National Aeronautic Space Agency (NASA) to commit to a joint long-term program for the exploration of Mars. This treaty comes on the heels of several new technological breakthroughs that could put us on the course for a manned mission to Mars sooner than we previously thought.

Mysterious Tunnel Discovered on the Moon

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:31:05 PST

The moon has been in the news lately more than it has been since the Apollo 11 moon landing. Why is there a sudden interest in the Lunar surface? Perhaps the moon is seen as a seeding platform for other planets, so mankind can finally stretch out into the stars. Of course building a lunar base would be incredibly difficult, since building materials would be more expensive than gold by the time they reached the surface. A new mysterious tunnel may, however, be the answer we’ve been looking for.

LCROSS Mystery

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:17:42 PST

One of NASA’s most ambitious projects in recent history was hailed as a major success when the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) plummeted into the massive Cabaeus-A crater in a spectacular display sending debris an estimated 350 meters off the surface. There was only one problem; Observers all over Earth zeroed in with thousands of telescopes on the moon, but not one saw so much as a puff on the Lunar surface. The lack of a visual fireworks display left several people, including some in NASA scratching their heads.

NASA Didn't 'Bomb' the Moon

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:05:40 PST

No, this isn’t another moon hoax, just a misreporting by mass media. Contrary to several reports, NASA didn’t “bomb the moon” today. A bomb is a device relying on combustible elements to create a mass expansion and release a lot of energy in a very short period of time. What NASA sent to the moon is more comparable to a bullet or a cannonball, but on a much larger scale.

Butterfly in Space

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 02:42:06 PST

"Hubble is back in action. Together, NASA and Hubble are opening new vistas on the universe," astronomer and frequent Hubble user Heidi Hammel said.

Atlantis Gets Scratched Up By Launch Debris

Tue, 12 May 2009 16:06:59 PST

Space Shuttle Atlantis has sustained what looks like minor shuttle damage which spans across 4 to 5 thermal tiles on the right side of the space shuttle. Preliminary reports state that the damage is a result of launch debris that came from the fuel tank a few minutes after liftoff.